Reciprocal valve and actuator

ABSTRACT

A balanced reciprocal valve comprising a one-piece, e.g., plastic member in the form of a hollow open-ended barrel having an annular outstanding seal at each end thereof, this valve member being adapted to be placed in a charging cap or thimble having openings for passage of fluid material, and a tool for placing the valve member in closed position wherein the openings in the cap are between the two seals, and selectively in open position so that the openings are clear of the valve member for passage of fluid in either direction.

EDERICK G. J. GRISE ATTORNEY INVENTOR 28 F I G.

if l

PATENTE!) Nuv 91ml SHEET 1 UF 2 United States Patent Inventor FrederickG. J. Grise West'Brookfield, Mass.

Appl. No. 11,582

Filed Feb. 16, 1970 Patented Nov. 9, 1971 Assignee Novelty Tool Company,Inc. Spencer, Mass.

RECIPROCAL VALVE AND ACTUATOR 6 Claims, 10 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl. 141/348, 62/292, 137/322, 251/128 Int. CL F25b 45/00 Field ofSearch 62/292;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 488,473 12/1892 Fruen141/311 X 1,081,149 12/1913 Quick 141/348 3,299,648 1/ 1967 White et al.62/292 X Primary Examiner-Laverne D. Geiger Assistant Examiner- EdwardJ. Earls Attorney-Charles R. Fay

PATENTED Nuv 91971 SHEET 2 F 2 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION A problem inpressure vessels, e.g., refrigeration devices, has always been toprovide a sufcient amount of fluid to the vessel in a simple andeconomical manner. Part of the problem lies in closing the vessel, e.g.,refrigeration tank, after fluid gas has been inserted, without losing agood deal of the pressure or volume. Another problem has always been thecoupling of the fluid source with relation to the appliance tank anduncoupling the same as fast as possible in order not to let fluid escapeuntil the venthole can be plugged by whatever means is used for thispurpose.

It is the object of the present invention to obviate all of thesedifficulties, to inject the fluid and operate the valves substantiallysimultaneously from a closed to an open .position and then toautomatically close the valve when the fluid has been supplied to therequired degree, it being one of the requirements in this particularcase that the valve be positively actuated and positively acting inorder to close off the vent permanently without leaking.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A special thimble-type cap is provided forapplication to the vessel in which the fluid is to be supplied. This capcomprises a barrel having a flange at one end and being closed at theother end and intermediate the flange and the closed end of the barrelthere are provided one or more inlet openings for the passage of fluid,the flange holding the cap in permanent position on the vessel. A verysimple plastic valve member is provided which comprises a barrel open atboth ends and having outstanding inwardly directed annular flanges atboth ends for sliding sealing contact with respect to the inside of thebarrel of the cap to close the same off when in a position where theinlet openings for the cap barrel appear between the two flanges. Thisbalances the valve by reason of the fact that reverse pressure from thetank causes both flanges to bear with that much more pressure againstthe interior wall .of said cap. The compression of the flanges issufficient to provide positive seal at lower pressure, even to absolutevacuum in cases where the flanges are slanted.

Means is provided for moving said valve member inwardly of the cap tofor instance a bottoming position against the closed end thereof whichleaves the inlet openings for the tank through the barrel of the capopen, and at the same time the device for moving the valve from theclosed to the open position includes a source of supply for the requiredfluid which can be immediately applied so that while the mechanism whichmoved the valve from the closed to the open position is in place,maintaining the valve inthis manner, the fluid flows into the tankthrough the openings inthe cap. Evacuation may be accomplished in thesame way. As soon as the required supply is provided, the valve isreturned to its closed position, any fluid excess in the line is dumped,and the pressure in the tank holds the valve balanced in its closedposition.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS y FIG. l is a view in elevation of thetank cap;

FIG. 2 is a view in elevation of the valve;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view illustrating the valve inside the tank cap,with the valve in closed position;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing the valve in open position;

FIG. 5 is a view in section illustrating the valve actuator and gasinjector in closed position of the valve;

FIG. 6 is a similar view to FIG. 5 showing the valve in its openposition and the gas in position to be turned on;

FIG. 7 is a section on line 7-7 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a similar section through the tank cap showing a modification;

FIG. 9 shows a slight modification of the tool, and

Flg. l0 is a rear view of the dust cap.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Referring now to FIGS. l, 2 and 3,there is shown the tank cap generally indicated at 10. This tank cap isclosed at one end as at 12 and is open at its opposite end as at 14, seeFIG. 3. It has around its open end an annular flange 16 for attachmentto the wall of the tank, so that the cap is substantially inside thetank. This cap is provided with a series of openings in the cylinderwall thereof as is indicated at 18. The openings 18 are located in anannular concaved outstanding ridge or bead 20 for a purpose to bedescribed.

The valve itself is a one-piece molded plastic device generallyindicated by the reference character 22, comprising .a cylindricalbarrel or thimble 24 with open ends, see 26 in FIG. 3. At each end ofthe barrel or thimble 24 there is a reversely directed inclined annularflange as at 28 and 30, and these are self-sustaining but have a certaindegree of flexibility, and interiorly there is an annular bevel-endedrib of substantial length as at 32.

lt will be seen that when the parts are in the position of FIG. 3, theopenings 18 in the wall of the cap 12 are closed to the atmosphere .andany pressure directed through these openings and inwardly with relationto the cap from the tank in which it is set, will tend to move theflanges 28 and 30 relatively outwardly to impinge with greater forceupon the inside surface of the cap, thus maintaining the tank closed tothe atmosphere (as at 14) with greater force the greater the pressureinside the tank.

As seen in FIG. 4, the valve is shown as open and the reason for theoutwardly directed annular concave ridge at 20 is tat when the valve ispushed between open and closed positions, its annular flange 30 wouldtend to become scored or otherwise damaged by contact with the edges orrims of apertures 20 as it slides past, but with the outwardly directedannular ridge 20, these edges are avoided by the edges of flange 30which therefore do not become scored or worn.

A gun or tool generally indicated at 36 may be provided for instancewith a fitting 38 for attachment to a source of gas under pressure and avalve for opening and closing this is provided but not shown. When thisvalve is open, the gas will pass through the fitting into an annularcylindrical chamber 46 and out at 48.

The gun 36 comprises a cylinder 50 longitudinally slidable in a casing52 threaded at 54 for engagement by a rotary actuator 56. When thelatter engages the end 58 of casing 52, and is turned in the properdirection, the cylinder 50 will be moved bodily to the right partiallyinto chamber 60. A rod 62, longitudinally adjustable in a portion 64 ofactuator'56, will engage the end 66 of a rod 68, holding it in itsposition. Rod 68 has a forward head 70 slidable in a chamber 72 in amember 74 that supports rod 68 and this head is normally projected fromits chamber by a spring 76, see FIG. 5. The member 74 also has acircumferential series of balls 80, 80, normally held in an inwardposition against bevel 82 on head 70, but capable of being forcedoutward by the head, see FIG. 6.

, A continuation or extension 84 of cylinder 50 has a front exposedO-ring 86 to abut and push the valve 24 and a gasket 88 sealing theinside of the cap 10. Further, casing 52 is provided with a stop 90 toabut the cap flange 16 to protect the valve 24 from excess pressure whenthe gun is forced to the left to open the valve. The numeral 92indicates a dump valve housing for relieving pressure in the fitting 38as the valve 24 is once again closed after the tank is charged. Thefitting and its support, extension 84, are allowed to move relative tocasing 52 by reason of slots 94, and at the proper time interval, a dumpvalve actuator 96 is operated by a stop abutment 98 on casing 52.

FIG. 5 shows the valve 24 in closed position. The head 70 is thrust intothe valve, passing through it, and the member 74 having a diameterapproximately the same as the inside diameter of the rib 32 on thevalve. In any event the head 70 comes to rest against the inside wall ofthe closed end l2 of the cap l0 as shown in FIG. 5, and at this pointthe valve 24 has not been affected in any way. Shortly thereafterhowever upon continued pressure of the gun towards the left in FIG. 5,the O-ring 86 impinges on the valve 24 pushing it to the left. The rod68 of course is held in position, but the rest of the gun moves and theforward end portion of the member 74 presses on the balls 80 so thatthey run off of the inner edge of the rib 32 against the inside of thevalve and are forced radially outwardly as shown in FIG. 6 by the head70. This motion causes the forward portion of member 74 to also bottomon the closed end I2 of the cap 10, and the balls force the valveelement against O-ring 86, assuring tightness. The valve has been movedto the left and it also becomes bottomed against the closed end l2 ofcap l0, opening the vents 18 with respect to chamber 48 and supply pipe38. The supply valve (not shown) is now actuated to provide for the gasto flow into the tank until a required pressure is achieved, with theparts all as shown in FIG. 6.

When the correct pressure has been achieved, the supply valve is closedand actuator 56 is rotated with drawing cylinder 50 and tting 38,actuating the dump valve. The valve 24 is forced to move to the rightunder influence of balls 80 which ride along the surface of the head 70,which remains bottomed. When the shoulders thereof at 82 are reached,the balls move inwardly by rib 32, releasing the valve 24 which thenstays in the closed position shown in FIG. 5, and the entire gun is thenmerely moved out and the operation is complete.

Instead of concave ridge 20, the material of the cap, between openings18, may be bumped inwardly as at 99 in FIG. 8 and this will serve alsoto prevent contact of the edge of flange 30 with the rims of openings18, as the flange will be deflected inwardly suiciently by such bumps.The valve element may also have its seal deflected on one end to provideclearance while passing by holes in body.

The flanged end 16 of the valve cap as shown is designed to beresistance welded into the tank. However this flanged end may be securedin any way desired, or the cap itself may be preformed integral withtank. Also the valve member 10 could be made of other suitable materialsand may have O-rings incorporated at its ends to serve as seals insteadof the flanges 28 and 30, which are preferably slanted as shown, but insome cases could be merely normal to the axis of the valve member.

Referring to FIG. 9, wherein like numerals indicate like parts in FIGS.and 6, a modification is presented including an outstanding forwardlyextending flange or rim 100 on the element 84 of cylinder 50 will engagethe periphery of flange 30 and flex it down or in, to avoid the edges ofapertures 18', thus avoiding wear on the flange. ln this case, theoutstanding groove 20 is not necessary. Otherwise the parts are the sameas before.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and l0, a dust cap of suitable resilient material issnapped into the open end of cap and closes it, once the fluid has beensatisfactorily inserted. This dust cap is applied by hand but cannot beremoved by hand. It comprises a disc 102 having a rear ridge 104 forminga U-shaped channel 106 with a center protrusion 108, and the outer sideof ridge 104 tightly frictionally engages the inside of the cap l0 atits open end, with the peripheral area of the disc closely engaging theflange 16 at its exposed surface. The bevel at 110 prevents gripping thedisc, but in any case the tight fit of the ridge 104 with the cap 10prevents removal in the absence of a special tool for the purpose. Bypressing outwardly on the exterior walls of the protrusion, the ridge isdeflected from the cap.

lclaim:

l. A valve comprising a cap, the cap having an open-ended bore; and atleast one aperture formed in the wall of said bore, a valve membermovable inside said bore, said valve member comprising a central bodyportion having a diameter less than the diameter of the bore, a seal ateach end of the central body portion, the valve member being adapted tobe located in the cap wherein the aperture in the cap is located betweenthe two seals on the central body portion, said seals closely engagingthe inside surface of the bore of the cap, said valve member beingcapable of being moved inwardly of said bore away from the open endthereof so that said aperture is open to the open end of the cap,

means to move said valve member between open and closed positions of thevalve, and means on the cap engaging and tending to deflect a portion ofone of the seals to avoid contact with the edges of the aperture.

2. The valve of claim l including a closed end formed on the inner endof said bore in said cap the means to move said valve member between theopened and closed positions of the valve comprising a frame, a rod onsaid frame, said rod being movable relative to said frame and extendingtherefrom, the central body portion of the valve member being hollow andthe rod extending through the same to bottom on the closed end of thecap and means associated with said rod for engaging and moving saidvalve member to a position wherein one end of the valve member isadjacent the closed end of the cap.

3. The valve of claim 2 including separate means associated with saidrod for moving said valve member in a reverse direction to close thevalve upon retraction of the rod.

4. The valve of claim 3 including a connection for a source of fluidunder pressure to lead said fluid into the cap and through the aperturetherein.

S. The combination of a valve for a tank, with means for opening andclosing the valve including means for injecting fluid material into saidtank through said valve,

said valve comprising a cap in said tank, said cap having a bore formedwith a closed end interiorly of the tank and being open at the peripheryof the tank, apertures in the wall of said bore communicating with theinterior of said tank,

a movable member in the bore of the cap, said movable member comprisinga generally cylindrical hollow body portion having a flange at each end,said flanges being spaced on said body portion such that when the memberis in the valve closed position the apertures are located between saidflanges the peripheries of both flanges engaging the interior of thebore so as to close said apertures to the atmosphere, said movablemember being adapted to be pushed inwardly of said cap so that one ofsaid flanges clears said apertures and allows the same to communicatewith the atmosphere,

the means for opening and closing the valve including means for movingsaid movable member between positions where said apertures are opened orselectively closed, and means causing gas under pressure to flow intosaid tank through said apertures when the member is inward of the cap ina position where said flange clears the apertures.

6. The combination of claim 5 wherein the means for moving said movablemember includes a rod, interengaging means on the rod and the movablemember comprising an inwardly directed ridge in the member, expandingmeans on the rod, and means causing engagement of said expanding meanswith said ridge when expanded with respect to said rod such that themember may be pulled from the closed end of the cap to the closedposition of the valve with respect to said apertures.

1. A valve comprising a cap, the cap having an open-ended bore; and atleast one aperture formed in the wall of said bore, a valve membermovable inside said bore, said valve member comprising a central bodyportion having a diameter less than the diameter of the bore, a seal ateach end of the central body portion, the valve member being adapted tobe located in the cap wherein the aperture in the cap is located betweenthe two seals on the central body portion, said seals closely engagingthe inside surface of the bore of the cap, said valve member beingcapable of being moved inwardly of said bore away from the open endthereof so that said aperture is open to the open end of the cap, meansto move said valve member between open and closed positions of thevalve, and means on the cap engaging and tending to deflect a portion ofone of the seals to avoid contact with the edges of the aperture.
 2. Thevalve of claim 1 including a closed end formed on the inner end of saidbore in said cap the means to move said valve member between the openedand closed positions of the valve comprising a frame, a rod on saidframe, said rod being movable relative to said frame and extendingtherefrom, the central body portion of the valve member being hollow andthe rod extending through the same to bottom on the closed end of thecap and means associated with said rod for engaging and moving saidvalve member to a position wherein one end of the valve member isadjacent the closed end of the cap.
 3. The valve of claim 2 includingseparate means associated with said rod for moving said valve member ina reverse direction to close the valve upon retraction of the rod. 4.The valve of claim 3 including a connection for a source of fluid underpressure to lead said fluid into the cap and through the aperturetherein.
 5. The combination of a valve for a tank, with means foropening and closing the valve including means for injecting fluidmaterial into said tank through said valve, said valve comprising a capin said tank, said cap having a bore formed with a closed end interiorlyof the tank and being open at the periphery of the tank, apertures inthe wall of said bore communicating with the interior of said tank, amovable member in the bore of said cap, said movable member comprising agenerally cylindrical hollow body portion having a flange at each end,said flanges being spaced on said body portion such that when the memberis in the valve closed position the apertures are located between saidflanges the peripheries of both flanges engaging the interior of thebore so as to close said apertures to the atmosphere, said movablemember being adapted to be pushed inwardly of said cap so that one ofsaid flanges clears said apertures and allows the same to communicatewith the atmosphere, the means for opening and closing the valveincluding means for moving said movable member between positions wheresaid apertures are opened or selectively closed, and means causing gasunder pressure to flow into said tank through said apertures when themember is inward of the cap in a position where said flanGe clears theapertures.
 6. The combination of claim 5 wherein the means for movingsaid movable member includes a rod, interengaging means on the rod andthe movable member comprising an inwardly directed ridge in the member,expanding means on the rod, and means causing engagement of saidexpanding means with said ridge when expanded with respect to said rodsuch that the member may be pulled from the closed end of the cap to theclosed position of the valve with respect to said apertures.